White Water Rafting - Padas

Site Catagory : River Cruise/Sports Padas River is on the South-western part of Sabah. First you have to go to Beaufort,a small town 1 1/2 hours drive from Kota Kinabalu city. From here you will proceed to the starting point of the rafting cruise by train. You may not realize that the train you are riding on is the oldest and the one and only survival of the good old Borneo Railway fleet! It is the only train on the whole of Borneo Island. It will chug you along the scenic view of the Sabah, Southerners who come with their poultry to sell at the nearest town. There is a broad and tarred road running parallel to the railway line. If the train runs into any mechanical problem, you may transfer to a bus and get on with your journey, so not to worry. The train ride is specially arranged for you to enjoy because all of you are so used to travelling on bullet-trains back home. You will reach the starting point after 2 hours of train ride. Padas River gushes through the spectacular Padas Gorge and is a challenge to all. The rafting cruise here is categorized as Class III-IV. The adrenaline rush excursion covers a distance of 9km that holds 7 biggest exciting and tough rapids in South-East Asia. Rafting cruise ends at the Rayoh Station after 1 1/2 hours of nerve tingling actions. Lunch will be served. And you still have some time for souvenir shopping before heading back to Kota Kinabalu city. Certificate Of Achievement will be awarded for this cruise. Things To Wear (And Spares) Towel,shoes (which will get wet), shorts and T-shirts,additional set of clothing and slippers. Things To Bring Sun block lotion, waterproof camera and hat. Tour Operators Traverse tours Borneo Ultimate Sports Adventure Tours Inno Travel And Tour Services Summer Cruise Holiday

White Water Rafting - Kiulu

Site Catagory : River Cruise/Sports If you are game for some water adventures in Sabah, try the white water rafting. Yo wil travel in rubber rafts down the swift flowing waters in the rivers, pasing through rapids. When the waters hit the rocks on the river bed, they splash bubbles and white foams all over, hence the name "white water rafting". There are 2 grades of white water rafting in Sabah : 1. Kiulu River White Water Rafting (Grade I-II) 2. Padas River White Water Rafting (Grade III-IV) KIULU RIVER Kiulu River is 1 1/2 hours drive away from Kota Kinabalu city. The journey takes you through villages populated by the Kadazan-Dusun, the largest ethnic group in Sabah, and acres and acres of green rice fields. In these villages,you will see groups of baffuloes crossing the road oblivious to the traffic, also children walking to school. This is a typical scene in Malaysian village. On clear days the majestic Mount Kinabalu is in clear view among the distant hills. You also have to cross the suspension bridge to get to the starting point. The starting point is flexible depending on the water level at the time. If the river water is at its highest level, the journey will be 15km long, while at its normal level, the journey will be 7km. The rafting difficulty level is suitable for family adventure, but the excitement and thrills of shooting through rapid after rapid is not in any way dimished. The whole family will get the chance to learn paddling, swimming and just floating in the white water! ( Hint: The playful guide will make sure that you get a chance to swim). The rafting journey will end at the tour operator's restaurant at Kiulu, where you will have bath and lunch before returning to Kota Kinabalu. Things To Wear (And Spares) Towel,shoes (which will get wet), shorts and T-shirts,additional set of clothing and slippers. Things To Bring Sun block lotion, waterproof camera and hat. Tour Operators

• Traverse tours
• Borneo Ultimate Sports Adventure Tours
• Inno Travel And Tour Services
• Summer Cruise Holiday

Klias River - Fireflies Cruise & Proboscis Monkey

Site Category : River Cruise

This tour is also known as Klias Wetland Adventures

Klias River is near Beaufort about 100km from Kota Kinabalu city. The cruise is conducted at the calmer lower reach of the Klias River. It allows you to catch sight of the bizarre long-nosed monkeys, called the prosboscis monkeys. The only place where these monkeys are found is at the Borneo Island. They normally live in harems consisting of one male, one to eight females and their offsprings. These forest dwellers frequently come together by the river side especially in the evening looking for food.
They have a special liking towards the young shoots and ignore the hard,thick grown leaves.And they always come back to the same trees to feed,therefore not surprisingly, there can be seen certain trees along the river bank which have scanty leaves.
By 6:00pm in the evening,each family would have picked a tree to spend their night, hence this will be an ideal time to observe them for a longer period, no worrying that they will disappear into the jungle again.
Adult prosboscis has huge pendulous fleshy nose while the female's is fairly short and snubby. Also you may be able to spot other animals during the cruise such as long-tailed macasques,monitor lizards,water buffaloes,egrets kingfisger and hornbills. At the night there are thousands of fireflies flashing their lights and decorating the tree tops,turning them into Christmas trees! At the end of the cruise you may head home straight away because the journey back to Kota KInabalu takes only about 1 1/2 hours drive. Things to bring : Binocular,insect repellent,hat,drinking water,camera or video camera. Accommodations : None Tour operator : Summer Cruise Sabah Sightseeing Starcruise Book online now

Labuk River

Site Category : River Cruise Beluran is a small agricultural and fishing town about 1 1/2 hours drive (90km) from Sanadakan. Sandakan is on the east coast of Sabah,45-minutes travel by air or 7-hours by road. The destination introduced today is the Labuk River which is located near Beluran. The cruise along Labuk River will allow you to see the long-nosed monkey called the Proboscis monkey. It is only found in one place in this world, the Borneo Island. Also found along the river banks are other primates such as macaques,silver leaf and orang utan (wild man of Borneo). There are many different species of birds like eagle,egerate,oreintal dates,hornbill,kingfisher and the rare bird of Borneo - Lesser Adjuntant. After lunch you may proceed to have a walk in the mangrove forest. The mangrove forest is unique vegetation that thrives in salt and brackish water and an important habitat for the Mudskipper,Fiddler crab and many species of marine life. Here you may observe at close range of various species of birds such as white-bellied sea eagle,kingfishers,woodpecker,herons etc. For those who take the night cruise, they will be fascinated by the fireflies (thousands of them), the trees along the banks will be brightened up,as if they are Christmas trees! Things to bring : Binocular,insect repellent,hat,drinking water,camera or video camera. Accommodations : Legend Motel Tour operator : Supreme Visage Boeneo Discovery Nature Heritage Travel And Tours

Kinabalu Pine Resort

Site Category : Mountain Park Kinabalu Pine Resort is situated at a small town, Kundasang, in the foot-hill of Mount Kinabalu, about 90km from Kota Kinabalu city. From here one can have a very clear view of the magnificient Mt Kinabalu,but the shape of which is slightly different from its usual roughly rectangular shape as viewed from the Kinabalu Park HQ. You may relax in the fresh cool mountain air, away from the busling life in the city. There are 64 rooms in this resort with attached bathrooms, colour TV and coffee making facilities. There is a restaurant that serves both western and local food. You can also sing in the koraoke lounge or simply relaxing in the lounge outside. There are also facilities to hold up to 250 delegtaes in the theatre style conference room, or 200 delegates in classroom settings. This is therefore a favourite place for seminar cum holidays, training cum holidays and meeting cum holidays types of functions. Other facilities include children 's playgorund, outdoor barbecue pits and public telephones. Contact : Kinabalu Pine Resort.

Poring Hotspring

Site Category : Mountain Park

Poring is a kind of local giant bamboo,which is found in abundance here. This resort derived its name from it.

The journey from Kota Kinabalu will take 3 hours into the interior of Sabah. Along the scenic countryside,you will see tiny villages scattered about,occasional roadside stalls selling vegetables,fruits and souvenir items such as hand made crafts.

Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in South-east Asia, can be seen from afar. And there are a few excellent spots on the way to allow you to take clear photographs of it.

You will arrive at Poring Hot Spring resort after 3 hours of leisure driving. The main purpose of going to Poring is have a dip in the hot sulphuric water from the hot spring which is collected through pipes and lead into open air Japanese-style bathtubs. THe hot spring water is believed to have curative effects to those who are suffering from rheumatism,influenza and skin disorders. Try it.

From the resort building to the bathing area you will have to climb a hill (20 minutes) to a tree top canopy walkway (suspension bridge). The canopy walk is at a height of 41 meters from the forest floor,and is 157.6 metres long. You are as if walking on top of the rainforest tree top, and have the opportunity to have a bird's view of the tall rainforest. The tree top is so thick that it resembles a huge green canopy covering the trees below, hence the name Canopy Walk.

Most tour operators will bundle the tour to Poring together with Kinabalu Park which is nearby, and will most likely take you to Kinabalu Park the same day and spend the night there. If you choose to stay at Poring, be sure to have a moon-light dip in the hot spring bathtub. You can relax in the hot water, let cool mountain breeze blowing at your face, listening to the "sound of night", the brushing of leaves,the insects' sound, and occasional wild animals' cry. It will be a memorable experience. Believe me. :=))

Tour Operators :

• Summer Cruise Holiday
• Sabah Sightseeing
• Nature Heritage Travel & Tours
• Sutera Sanctuary Lodges

Pulau Tiga

Site Category : Marine Park This island resort is about 3-hours boat ride form Kota Kinabalu city. The fact that it is away from any large land mass has Pulau Tiga been selected as the location for the real life theme series "The Survivor". The participants spent 6 weeks on this island and competed for the prize of USD 1 million. And that makes Pulau Tiga known to the world! This place is the favourite spot for local angliers because it is free from local fishermen activities and tourists diving around the coral reef. Visitors can snorkel near the beach in the shallow clear waters,sunbathe on the white sandy beach or jungle trekking in rainforest on the island. At night you can sing along in the karaoke,have a few beers in the resort, or just sit on the beach listening to the sound of the waves beating the shore.

Mabul Island

Site Category : Marine Park Mabul Island is another excellent diving spot in Sabah. It is 20-minutes boat ride from Sipadan the world renowned diving paradise. In fact Mabul Island first became popular due to its close proximity to Sipadan Island. However, in the last few years it has gained its own recognition as one of the best "MUCK DIVING" sites in the world. Mabul Island is a small oval shaped island surrounded by sandy beaches and perched on the northwest corner of a larger 200 hectacre reef. The reef is on the edge of the continental shelf and the seabed surrounding the reef slopes out to 25m-30m deep.

Sipadan Island

Site Category : Marine Park The tourist destination described today,Sipadan island, is situated off the east coast of Sabah. Visitors will first travel to Tawau either by land or by air then to Semporna, a fishing town by land. From Semporna you will take a 2-hours boat ride to Sipadan. The official name is Sipadan Park while the private tour operators will call this the Sipadan Resort. Don't worry they are one and the same thing. The government refers to all things found there,the water,the whole island,the plants and the animals. But the tour operators only refer to their own properties located on the island. Sipadan Island is another World Heritage Site,and it is the only oceanic one in Malaysia. It is also the world's renowned diving spot. There were many chalets owned by private tour operators on this island originally,but under pressure from environmentalists,they are relocated at Mabul Island which is 20-minutes boat ride away. And the number of divers allowed to go for the dive per day are also limited to preserve the environment. In the past there were no such restrictions. The coral reefs are beautiful,abundance of marine life. Not far from the shore,just about 6 feet deep water,the seabed suddenly drop off which plunges a sheer 2,000ft to the bottom of the sea. It is named simply "The Dropoff",and is among one of the world's top 5 wall dives. Other famous sites like Barracuda Point, White Tip Avenue, Turtle Patch and Hanging gardens ring the island. The sea creatures inhabiting Sipadan's waters seem t now that they are safe here,and that divers pose no threat to them. You can have eye to eye encounters with the giant Green Sea Turtles, or swim placidly through silver shoals of thousands of Jack and Barracudas. You can see dozen f turtles on a single dive. Sipadan is photographer's and videographer's paradise. Tour Operators :

• Nature Heritage Travel & Tours
• Tanjung Aru Tours & Travel
• Inno Travel & Tour Services
• Scuba Paradise
• Seaventures Dive Resort
• Sabah Divers

Tunku Abdul Rahman Park

Site Category : Marine Park This marine national park is named after the first Prime Minister of Malaysia,our father of independence. It comprises of 5 islands : Gaya,Sulug,Sapi,Manukan and Mamutik islands,lying 3-8km from Kota Kinabalu city. Manukan is the most developped of the lot,complete with chalets,restaurant,cafe,handicrafts shop and the park customer services counter. The others are basically very much unchanged. The long stretchs of white sandy beach,the crystal clear water offer many choices of activities like sun-bathing,snorkeling and scuba diving. Snorkeling in the shallow water allows you to discover the rich marine life found here. Marine fish of all variety swim idlely between your legs,it's a wonderful experience! But don't wander off too far,there is always risk elements involved,the life-guards may not be able to see you. On the island itself,the low valley rainforest offer you the chance to experience another kind of adventure.Join the guided jungle trekking,see the flora and fauna,smell the wild flowers,hear the birds sing,watch the insects crawl and see the monkey swing! The islands are 15-20 minutes boat ride form the city.The few water-fronted hotels have their own jetties and offer many cruise packages. If you prefer to go there on your own,you may make enquiries at the public jetty located next to the Malaysian Custom office. Compare the prices and make your decisions. Tour Operators

• Summer Cruise Holiday
• Nature Heritage Travel & Tours
• Tanjung Aru Tours & Travel
• Inno Travel & Tour Services
• Scuba Paradise
• Seaventures Dive Resort
• Sabah Divers

Refer to the yellow pages for their contact numbers...:-))

Kinabalu National Park

Site Category: Mountain Park The Kinabalu National Park is the first World Heritage Site in Malaysia and was inscribed into the WHB list in July 2000. This is one of the most popular family tourist destinations in Sabah. It encompasses the Mt Kinabalu,its slopes and foot hills. The rain forest found here is the oldest in the world,it existed long before the Ice Age. It is world famous for the abundance of variety of flora and fauna. Many of the world rarest species are found here, in fact some of them can only be found here. Naturalists from all over the world are doing research works in Kinabalu Park,and the love it here,not only for their works but also the friendly people here! The overland journey from KK to Kinabalu Park takes approximately 2 hours. You may start your visit here by going to the Botaniacal Garden,you will see orchids,fern,picher plants,kerosene trees and many more. Next you may like to visit the exhibition center where specimen of insects are in display. If you like to explore the rainforest with the park area,join the jungle trekking organised by the park management. There are still hundreds of unnamed species to be given a name,maybe you are lucky and spot an unnamed specy and can have your name attached to it! Visitors with tight schedules may elect to go back to the city the same day. But families on vacations usually spend one or two more days here. There are various classes of accommodations available to suit your budgets.

• The dormitories with bunkers are the favourites of groups of youngers
• Single-room cabins are the first choice for small family
• 2-rooms chalets are for families with more members
• 3-rooms chalets may cater for a few close families holidaying together
• Hotel rooms for those who prefer to laze in the hotel lounge/lobby,coffee house,kara-oke and the bar

If your chalet is facing the Mt Kinabalu,your friends and you can have a very clear view of the mountain from the balcony. With cool mountain breeze blowing across tour face,drinking beer,chatting and watching the clouds floating pass the middle of Mt Kinabalu. Under the influence of beer,you may imagine the mountain is a giant with the band of cloud as his belt around his waist!

The spacious living room and fire place is ideal for family activities which you may be too busy to do on a normal working day. This will bring your family closer.

Try it here for a different holidays without the usually madness of shopping,shopping,shopping!

National Parks

Site Category : Mountain/Marine Parks There are 2 national parks in Sabah : 1. Kinabalu National Park 2. Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park The former is moutain park cover the Mt Kinabalu,its slopes and its foo-hills, while the later is a marine park comprising 5 islands off the coast of Kota Kinabalu.They are Gaya Island,Sapi Island, Sulug Island,Manukan Island and Mamutik Island. The purpose of setting up national parks are to preserve the nature wealth of Sabah.They are managed by government agencies to enforce the regulations pertaining to the preservation of the items contained within the national parks. All plants,animals,insects,stones and earth are not allowed to be damaged or removed. Violation of these regulations may cause you to be charged in court hence spoiling your trip to Sabah! Leave nothing but foot steps,take nothing but photographs With prior permission and arrangement strick limited quantity may be allowed to be taken away solely for research works only. Ask before actions!

Climb Mount Kinabalu

Site Category : Mountain Park Many visitors arriving at the Kinabalu National Park are awed by the magnificent Mt Kinabalu and have the urge to go up the summit just by looking at its majestic form. But do not be tempted. Climbing Mt Kinabalu on impulse is asking for troubles,you may get into unexpected difficulties while up there. You only climb it when you are prepared for it. Firstly, when you arrive at the park, the official guides may have already gone home because you have not made any prior booking.Unguided climb is prohibited for the safety of climbers.It is bacause mists may have set in unexpectedly and it is easy to be lost if you do not know the terrain well. Also the vegetations on the slope begin to thin down as you ascend and further up there it is completely void of any vegetation, it becomes a vast, barren rock face. There is no mark, no path ways here unlike at the lower part of the slope where recognisable path ways are formed as a result of climbers walking on the soft ground,but here it is not possible to leave marks on the hard rock face no matter how many climbers had passed by. Without an official guide one can easily lost his way even if the visibility is good. And take caution that certain parts are quite dangerous to cross without the expert guidance of the guide. Secondly, you must take up some form of physical training to tune up your body especially the leg muscles. Jogging for 2-3 km or walking up and down flights of staircase a couple of times daily will be good enough. True,there is not much climbing to do,just a walk up the slope. But 5-6 hours of non stop up-hill walk demands a great deal of body fitness! And let me mention in passing, do not take it lightly regarding the low temperature, thinner air on the mountain. There were tragic loss of young lives due to under estimating the coldness up there and did not wear enough clothing to protect themselves. They thought that the coldness up there is nothing to worry about becaus they had experienced much colder winters in their own countries. So they went up the mountain scantly clothed. They collasped under the combined pressure of cold, thin air and fatigue, and maybe some hidden illness within thier bodies which they themselves were not aware of. Thirdly, all climbers must rest for the night at Panar Laban Hut or Laban Rata Resthouse (3,272m), without prior reservations there might not be any empty room for you! And you have to turn back because the Park Warden will not allow you to be exposed to the strong chill winds there at night up there. Finally, you may have not brought along with you enough clothes for change. The clothes you are wearing will be wet from sweats, mists and rains. The chilly wind plus wet clothes will quickly drain away your body heat and endanger your life. Tips : Wrap tightly your spare clothes in plastic bags, because your haversack(backpack) will not be able to protect them from the heavy tropical rains. Climbers living in Sabah usually go up Mt Kinabalu in groups, organised by clubs, associations, companies, government departments and schools. Foreign tourists are advised to take a package from any of the tour operators. A normal climb will usually take 3 days and 2 nights : Day# 1----Travel from KK to Kinabalu Park HQ -- --Find your own activities for the remaining of the day. Night# 1--Stay in any accommodation of your choice within the Park area. Day# 2----Meet up with official guide,proceed to starting point. ----Registration,then start the climb. Night# 2--Stay at Hut or Resthouse. (Your choice) Day# 3---At wee hours of the morning, begin the assault on the summit. ---Reach summit just in time for sunrise! Take in the great span of greenery that streches out as far as your eye can see. ----Your guide will by now starts urging you to descend before the mist rises and cover the moutain top. ----Descend to Park HQ,lunch at nearby restaurant. ----Collect from Park Warden your certificate of achievement (verified by your guide,so be nice to him,..lol) ----Go home or spend another night? Your choice. Contact tour operators for details.They are listed in my earlier post "Mount Kinabalu".(View)